My first Meadow Brown of the year in my garden this morning

Emsworthy on Dartmoor - bluebells, cuckoos and redstarts

Hill-farmer attitudes to the peatland restoration works on the Commons of Dartmoor adriancolston.wordpress.com/2026/05/06/h...

Molinia management on Dartmoor - two case studies Down Ridge and Tavy Head South In partnership with the Forest of Dartmoor Commoners Association, with financial assistance from the Farming in Protected Landscape (FiPL) grant scheme adriancolston.wordpress.com/2026/05/05/m...

Nice unexpected start to the day - 7 Black-winged Stilt on Porth Coose beach this morning St Agnes #islesofscilly

Dozens and dozens of Painted Ladies and Silver Ys on St Agnes today - all fresh in

Oystercatchers, Whimbrel and Swallows St Agnes #islesofscilly

So sad that it is now so exciting to find a Turtle Dove .... one of my favourite birds ....St Agnes #islesofscilly

Waxing crescent moon over St Agnes tonight #islesofscilly

Despite today's windy conditions the birding has been good, including a Turtle Dove, Yellow Wagtail, plenty of Swallows and a Whimbrel St Agnes #islesofscilly

The M51 Whirlpool galaxy taken with my Seestar 30 from St Agnes #islesofscilly last night

Small Copper on St Agnes today #islesofscilly

Fulmars on St Agnes #islesofscilly

A few bits and pieces from yesterday here on St Agnes, #islesofscilly Wheatear, Goldfinches, male Stonechat and a Painted Lady

C32 Whale nebula

Female Stonechat, Dunnock, Robin and Wren #islesofscilly #stagnes

Very few migrant birds at the moment but gannet, herring gull, linnet and starling are common #islesofscilly #stagnes

American Wigeon at Porth Hellick yesterday on St Mary's Isles of Scilly

After 10 hours travelling and waiting for a boat - we have arrived #islesofscilly #stagnes

The most common insect in my garden at the moment is the Sloe Shieldbug - over 100 of them ....

Farming Today with the Dartmoor photographer Chris Chaman www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

What an excellent film www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

Holly Blue and an Orange Tip in the garden this afternoon - up to eight species now so far this year

I've got 5 oak trees in my garden and this one is always the first to come into leaf - it is miles ahead of the nearby ash tree #spring

Orange-tailed Mining Bee (Andrena haemorrhoa) in this garden this afternoon

My first Speckled Wood of the year

Dark-edged Bee Fly has been out and about in my garden for over a week now - here's one feeding on Celandine

Some trees by the O Brook on Holne Moor #Dartmoor

Defra's Land Use Framework has just been published - you can download it here www.gov.uk/government/p... And here are a few tasters around Dartmoor

Blackthorn is coming into flower

I'm going back to basics - last read this in 1985 .....

Comma butterfly in my garden today

A male Hairy-footed Flower Bee - in garden this morning - first of the year

Starfish cluster - so many stars in the sky tonight ....

Birds in my garden today were getting ready for spring - plenty of sunshine and 25 species of bird calling or singing including a flock 20 siskin, chiffchaff, blackcap, nuthatch, greater spotted woodpecker along with a couple of species of butterfly, hoverflies and honey bees

The Peacock has now been joined by two Red Admirals!

Peacock butterfly in my garden this morning 😀

Robin singing in my garden this morning

I've been waiting a long time for this book and it is now published - fantastic - great group to get into and this book will make it easy for you - climate change messengers

Part of the California Nebula from last night

First primrose of the year in my garden today

First Lesser Celandine of the year flowering in my garden today

Aurora seems to have finished in Exeter now - 3 surreal photos from my iPhone earlier - handheld 3 sec exposures through the oak tree in my garden

From a couple of night's ago - the Monkey Head Nebula MGC 2175

Update - when I posted my picture of M33 the Triangulum Galaxy I speculated that the straight below to the left was a satellite - in fact it was the asteroid 443 Eros which was only visible for 2 days and has now gone out of sight. Beginners luck!

Clear skies tonight so another play with the Seestar S30. The Orion Nebula M42 - really pleased with this The Triangulum Galaxy (and a satelitte!) The Pleiades (and another sateilitte)

Bought a Seestar S30 after admiring Martin Goodey's solar photographs - still experimenting with it and dodging clouds - couple of first attempts though: the Andromeda nebula M31 and the Pacman nebula M281 .... really impressed with the kit ..... but lots to learn

The Wolf supermoon tonight - rising over Exeter